An institute in Mainz, Germany (Mainzer Institut für Prüfungsfragen, IMPP), regularly publishes statistics comparing the results of the written examinations for medical students in the first stage of their course at different universities.

These figures apply to those students who sit the examination in the normal course of their studies and lead to a ranking of the various Medical Schools in Germany according to exam results.

Those with a low failure rate and above average exam marks range at the top of the list and are generally considered to provide a better quality medical training than those lower down on the list.

For the first time these figures are set in relation to the number of students admitted to the course in the first place, thus including those students who do not sit the exams after the normal period of time.

This reveals a very different picture.

Taking into account the current political and economic discussion criticising university courses for being too long or too costly a department would then achieve a higher ranking if it can prove that more students sit and pass their first-stage medical exam after the standard period of four semesters, even if this involves lower average exam results and higher failure rates.